Where Can I Find Info On Railroad / Train Police And Law Enforcement In The United States?

Question

I keep hearing that their are special police officers who handle railroad issues, and I even think I saw one once while picking a friend up, but I can't find any place for them online.

Are they considered state agencies to the state the train starts or stops in? Are they assigned to the railroad company themselves like NASA police/nuclear security operates? Are they considered federal? If they're federal, who runs them? Are the like a division of Homeland Security like the Air Marshalls? To they have some formal title, like "Rail Marshall" or something I should be looking under?

I'm mostly looking for hiring info for them, but I'm honestly just curious in general now, since I can't seem to easily find anything about them, and I've tried USAjobs, several state DPS sites where I know large railyards are, I can't seem to find about them at all.

Answer 1

All railroads fall under the Department of Transportation. I know when there is a derailment or safety issue the Federal Marshalls are all over the scene. you might check the DOT and get answers

Answer 2

railroads are federal..so their police should be federal.......

Transit police also known as transport police or transit enforcement, is a specialized police agency or unit employed by a common carrier, which could be a railroad, bus line, other transport carrier, or the state. Their mandate is to prevent and investigate crimes committed against the carrier or by or against passengers or other customers of the carrier, or those committed on the carrier's property.

A transit police force may consist of officers employed directly by a transit provider, such as the Amtrak Police, or it may exist as specialized unit of a police force, such as the Transit Police Services Bureau of the Orange County, California Sheriff's Department, which serves the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Where the term "transit police" is used for the police working for a railroad, it usually refers to a railroad providing urban mass transit (such as a city elevated system or subway) as opposed to long-distance rail carriage. Police who work either for a private non-passenger railroad or long-haul rail carrier are usually referred to as "railroad police" or "railway police". In Britain, most of the rail system, including the London Underground, is policed by a national transport police agency, the British Transport Police. Some transit police have full policing powers, while in other areas, they have limited powers and are classed as special police or special constables with limited powers.

Some of the crimes transit police and railroad police investigate include trespassing on the right-of-way of a railroad, assaults against passengers, tagging of graffiti on railroad rolling stock and buses or bus stops, pickpocketing, ticket fraud, robbery and theft of personal belongings, baggage or freight, and drug dealing at transit stations.

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Answer 3

Most Class 1 railroads have their own police force.  These officers are usually called "special agents".  Of all the railroad I'm familiar with, police officers are POST (Peace Officer Standards Training) certified.  They have arrest authority and can detain for crimes committed against their company.   I believe they usually call local jurisdictions to transfer suspects to correctional facilities for booking.  I'm also uncertain what access they have to NCIC.

Be assured that railroads have very deep pockets and will prosecute to the fullest extent possible.  Crimes which cause damage and/or harm to people is usually a federal crime.  Since this is dealing with interstate commerce, numerous federal agencies usually become involved if the situation warrants.